Paper Details

PJB-2025-57

Multistage screening of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) germplasm for salt stress tolerance using morphological and ionic traits

 

Noreen Fatima, Asif Saeed, Amir Shakeel and Faisal Saeed Awan
Abstract

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Soil salinity is a major abiotic stress limiting global tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production, highlighting the need to develop salt-tolerant genotypes for sustainable cultivation in saline environments. In this study, 101 tomato accessions were evaluated under controlled conditions using a sand-based system supplemented with Hoagland solution. Salinity stress was induced by applying NaCl to achieve electrical conductivity (EC) levels of 6 and 12 dS m⁻¹ at both seedling and reproductive stages. Morphological and ionic traits were assessed, and genotypic responses were analyzed using principal component analysis, correlation, and cluster analysis. Significant genotypic variability in salt tolerance was observed. At the seedling stage, accessions such as CLN-2498-A, Picdenato, AUT-318, and 17263 exhibited superior seedling performance under 12 dS m^-1, with moderate reductions in shoot dry weight (up to 53%) and root dry weight (up to 48%). Ionic analysis revealed that these accessions maintained lower increases in Na⁺/K⁺ ratios, up to 41% in roots and 50% in leaves, indicating effective ion regulation under stress. At the reproductive stage, CLN-2498-A and 17256 demonstrated superior performance at 12 dS m^-1, with fruit yield reductions limited to 42% and average fruit weight declined up to 82% compared to the control. Despite considerable increases in Na⁺/K⁺ ratios (62% in roots and over 99% in leaves), both accessions sustained better ionic balance than sensitive accessions. These findings identify CLN-2498-A and Picdenato as promising genetic resources for breeding salt-tolerant tomato cultivars, providing valuable insights for enhancing tomato resilience in saline environments and supporting global food security.

To Cite this article: Fatima, N., A. Saeed, A. Shakeel and F.S. Awan. 2025. Multistage screening of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) germplasm for salt stress tolerance using morphological and ionic traits. Pak. J. Bot., 58(3): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2026-3(9)  
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